Refrigerator construction



July 8, 1952 B. c. JOHNSON REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Jan; 26, 1949 M M .2 FM n i B. C- JOHNSON.

REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION July 8, 1952 Filed Jan. 26, 1949 2 SHEETS-S HEET 2 Patented July 8, 1Q52 UNITED STATE REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Bernard (L'Johnson, Mundelein, Ill., assignor to Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporationof Michigan Application January 26, 1949, Serial No. 72,820

. Claims. 1 The present invention relates to refrigerator construction and more particularlyconcerns improvements in and relating to the disposition and mounting of the evaporator within a refrigerator cabinet. 7 An important object of' the present invention is to provide an improved refrigerator construc tion in which by the novel and efficient disposition of the evaporator maximum utility is derived from the available space within the refrigerator cabinet while dividing such space into a plurality of different functional compartments.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a refrigerator construction a novel arrangement of the evaporator to provide within the storage compartment space of the refrigerator ice freezing and frozen food compartment of low temperature.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel cooperative relationship of the refrigerator cabinet structure and an evaporatorto afford merely by the disposition of the evaporator and with fewer and less complicated parts than heretofore a plurality of compartments of different temperatures within the refrigerator,

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved, low cost refrigerator construction.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed descriptionof' certainpreferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary, more or less schematic front elevational view of a refrigerator cabinet embodying therein features of the inven tionand with the door thereof open;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken in that portion of the refrigerator indicated by the circle III in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail view of substantially that portion of the refrigerator indicated by the circle IV in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a developed plan view of the evaporator of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an end elevational view of a modified form of the evaporator;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the evaporator of Figure 6 looking toward the rightyand Figure Bis a developed plan view of the evaporator of Figure 6.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2; the invention is 2 v applicable to any preferred form of refrigerator cabinet it having therein a storage compartment H opening toward the front of the cabinet and closed by a door I2. Within this storage compartment H are the usual storage racks or shelves l3.

According to the present invention an evaporator M for refrigerating the storage compartment II is so constructed and related to the cabinet within the storage compartment that simply by the particular disposition of the evaporator -addi-- tional compartments of low temperatureare provided within the storage compartment H. To

this end, the evaporator I4 is of angular generally of the evaporator are also open. The top wall l6 of the evaporator is disposed in preferred relatively closely spaced relation to the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet identified at l 8, while the open side of the evaporator is disposed closely adjacent to the side wall of the refrigerator, in thi instance the right side wall identified at l9 and the rear end of the refrigerator is disposed in substantial abutment with the rear wall of the refrigerator identified at 20. In this manner, the evaporator I4 cooperating with the walls of the refrigerator cabinet [0 and located in one upper "corner portion of the storage compartment l I provides an ice tray freezing compartment 21 and a colder frozen food compartment 22, while the remainder of the storage compartment l I is available for storage purposes at a higher refrigerating temperature. As a result, the plurality of compartments of different temperatures are provided in as compact an arrangement as practicable and in an extremely simple manner and without requiring any reconstruction of the conventional refrigerator cabinet orany additional apparatus or structure than the evaporator itself within the storage compartment of the refrigerator.

For supporting the evaporator l4 within the cabinet, an inverted L-shaped bracket 23 i secured to the upper margin of the side wall l'lof the evaporator as by means of rivets 24 and projects upwardly above the plane of the top wall [6 sufficiently to afford the desired spacing for'the ice tray compartment 2|. The upper'short leg of the bracket 23 is secured to the top wall of the refrigerator cabinet as by means of screws'25, rubber grommet 21 being interposed betweenthe screws, thebracket flange and the top wall 18 in order to insulate against heat transfer from the top wall liner of the storage compartment to the evaporator. Through this arrangement the supporting bracket 23 provides an inside closure for the freezing space compartment 2|,

The open side of the evaporator may be attached to the side wall l9 of the cabinet through the medium of respective side terminal inturned coplanar flange 28 on the respective bottom and top walls I5 and I6 of the evaporator and attached to the side wall IQ of the refrigerator by means of screws 29 threaded into tapped reinforcing bars 30 fastened to the inside of inner liner 3| insulated from the rear wall and more particularly the inner liner thereof by means such as an insulating seal 34 (Figures 2 and 4) which may be made of rubber or a rubber-like material in the form of a split tube embracing the rear edges of the evaporator walls and providing an insulating seal between such edges and the cabinet inner liner.

It will thus be apparent that the low temperature frozen food compartment 22 comprises a substantially closed chamber formed by the cooperating walls of the evaporator l4 and the side and rear Walls of the refrigerator cabinet and since it is substantially closed off from circulation of warm air from the storage compartment ll will maintain a low freezing temperature adequate for frozen food storage. On the other hand, the up per, smaller ice tray freezing compartment 2| which is defined by the upper wall l6 of the evaporator, the bracket 23 and the upper portions of the side wall l9 and the rear wall 20, as well as the overlying portion of the top wall [8 of the refrigerator cabinet, will maintain a low temperature but a temperature higher than within the frozen food compartment. Hence, ice trays 35 supported upon the top wall Hi and readily accessible from the front of the storage chamber and being in direct heat transfer contact with the evaporator will afford efficient ice cube freezing.

Since the evaporator I4 is located high in the storage compartment it affords highly efficient refrigeration for the storage compartment through circulation of air Within the storage compartment.

Efficient, uniform distribution and expansion of the refrigerant is provided for in the evaporator M which is of the usual sheet metal construction in which two plies of the metal are secured in face-to face relation and with refrigerant ducts stamped in the sheet metal plies. Having reference to the more or less schematic developed plan View of Figure 5, refrigerant is delivered from the condenser (not shown) of the refrigerating unit by way of a delivery duct 3.5 at the top of one end portion of the side wall section [1 of the evaporator and travels through a serpentine duct 31 uniformly through the top section I6 of the evaporator and then down a connecting duct 38 into a header 39 in the bottom wall section |5 of the evaporator close to and. parallel with the edge of the bottom wall section adjacent to the terminal flange 28. i The header 39 connects with a parallel arrangement of expansion ducts 40 extending therefrom across the bottom wall panel or section l5 and up the side wall panel orsection I! to a connecting header 4| which communicates by way" of a passage 42 with one end of an accumulator header 43 of relatively large capacity and extending parallel thereto in the'upper portion of the side wall section or panel IT. A return duct 44 leads from the header 43 to communicate with the compressor of the refrigerating unit. The return end of the header 43 is formed with an upwardly tapering bottom wall 45 approaching the return outlet and duct 44. It will be observed from Figure 1 that in the bottom section or wall N5 of the evaporator the refrigerant evaporation ducts and headers are at the outside, as is also true of the evaporation ducts in the side section or wall except that the header 43 due to its large size necessarily projects to the inside, as well as to the outside, but due to its location at the top of the side wall will not interfere with the use of the interior of the evaporator for storage purposes. In the top section or wall It of the evaporator the serpentine refrigerant duct 31 is located at the inside so that the top surface of the top wall is flat for efiicient reception and heat transfer relative to the ice trays 35 supported thereon.

In the modified evaporator shown in Figures 6, '7 and 8, an evaporator unit 41 is provided which is also of angular c-form but varies somewhat as to shape and construction, being of somewhat more flattened and wider shape so that it may extend entirely across the inside of a refrigerator cabinet. In the evaporator unit 41 a bottom wall 48 is connected by a side wall 49 to atop wall 59 which lies parallel to the bottom wall 48. At the ends of the bottom and top walls 48 and 59 are provided right angular coplanar inwardly directed terminal flanges 5| to which may be secured a side closure. plate 52 by means such as rivets 53. Attachment of the evaporator 41 is facilitated by the provision of attachment grommet holes 54 in the side closure plate 52 and similar appropriate holes 55 in the side wall 49.

Highly efiicient refrigerant circulation through the bottom side and top walls 48, .49 and 50 of the evaporator unit 41 is effected by introducing liquid refrigerant through a delivery duct 51 into a serpentine refrigerant duct 58 in the top wall 50 from which the refrigerant travels by way of a duct 59 to a serpentine evaporator duct 69 in the end portion of the lower wall 48 adjacent to the terminal flange 5| thereof and substantially traveling the length of the bottom wall. From the serpentine evaporator duct section 60 the refrigerant enters a header 6| from which a plurality of parallel connector ducts 62, herein shown as three in number, extend to a distribution header 63 located at approximately the midportion of the bottom Wall 48. From the header 63 the refrigerant goes by way of a relatively large number of parallel, increased expansion area ducts 64 into the remainder of the bottom wall 48 and up the side wall 49 to a receiving header 65 whence the evaporated refrigerant travels by way of short parallel ducts 61 upwardly to a takeoff header 68. From the header 68 the evaporated refrigerant is returned to the compressor by way of a duct 69.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that my invention provides a novel refrigerator construction which is more simple than conventional arrangements and affords substantial economies by reducing to a minimum the number of parts that must be supplied and assembled while nevertheless attaining a highly eflicient relation of the plurality of compartments of different temperatures. Y Y Y I claim as my invention:

1. In combination in a refrigerator construction, a cabinet having side, rear and top walls defining a relatively large size food storage compartment, a generally C-shaped evaporator having an open side cooperating with one of the side walls of the cabinet to form a tubular freezing space and the rear end of the evaporator cooperating with the rear wall of the cabinet to close the rear end of the freezing space, the top wall of the evaporator being in predetermined relatively closely spaced relation to the top wall of the cabinet and together with the top wall, the rear wall and the adjacent side wall of the cabinet providing a second freezing space, the rear edges of the walls of the evaporator being encased in a heat insulating sealing. gasket preventing direct heat transfer from the evaporator to the rear wall of the cabinet.

2. In combination in a refrigerator construction, a cabinet having side, rear and top walls defining a relatively large size food storage compartment, a generally C-shaped evaporator having an open side cooperating with one of the side walls of the cabinet to form a tubular freezing space and the rear end of the evaporator cooperating with the rear wall of the cabinet to close the rear end of the freezing space, the top wall of the evaporator being in predetermined relatively closely spaced relation to the top wall of the cabinet and together with the top wall, the rear wall and the adjacent Side wall of the cabinet providing a second freezing space, and insulating structure maintaining the top and botthe evaporator in heat transto the adjacent side wall of transfer from tom wall margins of fer isolated relation the cabinet to prevent direct heat the evaporator to said side wall.

3. In combination in a refrigerator construction, a cabinet having top, side and rear walls defining a food storage compartment, and a generally C-shaped evaporator within said compartment having rear margins of the walls thereof in closure relation to the rear wall of the cabinet to define therein a frozen food compartment, means in closure cooperation with the open side of the C of the evaporator, the top wall of the evaporator being disposed relatively closely but in spaced relation to the top wall of the refrigerator and defining therewith a freezing compartment for ice trays, and a bracket separate from said means securing the evaporator to the top wall of the refrigerator, said bracket cooperating with the top wall of the cabinet to provide a closure wall for said ice tray compartment.

4. In a refrigerator structure, an evaporator of generally O-shape having top, side and bottom walls all formed by a pair of face-to-face pressed metal lates, the top wall having a serpentine refrigerant duct arranged at one end to be connected to a supply of compressed refrigerant, the

other end of said serpentine duct having an extension running down the adjacent side wall of the evaporator and along the bottom wall adjacent to one edge thereof to a distribution header adjacent the margin of the bottom wall remote from said side wall, a plurality of parallel refrigerant expansion ducts leading from said distribution header across said bottom wall and up said side wall to a collection header, a takeoff header parallel to said collection header and havmg a connection at one end with said collection header, and means at the opposite end of the takeoff header for return of the refrigerant to a compressor, all of said ducts and headers being in and part of the interfaces of said metal plates.

5. In a refrigerator structure, an evaporator of generally C-shape and having top, side and bottom walls all formed by a pair of pressed metal plates hermetically secured together in face-toface relation, said top wall having a generally serpentine refrigerant duct therein having connection at one end for receiving compressed refrigerant and having an extension from the other end leading down the side wall of the evaporator and along the bottom wall adjacent to an edge thereof to a serpentine refrigerant duct occupying the end portion of the bottom wall remote from said side wall, said last mentioned serpentine duct having connection with a header on the central portion of the bottom wall and from which lead a plurality of relatively short connection ducts communicating with a larger distribution header on the central portion of the bottom wall; a substantial number of expansion ducts leading from said distribution header across the remainder of the bottom wall and up the side wall of the evaporator to a collection header, and a takeoff header extending in parallel relation to said collection header and communicating therewith and having an expanded refrigerant takeoff therefrom, all of said ducts and headers being in and part of the interfaces of said metal plates.

BERNARD C. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file .of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,908,573 Sulzberger May 9, 1933 2,157,127 Heath May 9, 1939 2,325,705 Philipp Aug. 3, 1943 2,381,686 Peltier Aug. 7, 1945 2,411,376 Johnson Nov. 9, 1946 2,414,952 Johnson Jan. 28, 1947 2,425,021 Anderson Aug. 5, 1947 2,449,094 Wheeler Sept. 14, 1948 2,458,629 Orley Jan. 11, 1949 2,478,312 Peltier Aug. 9, 1949 

